Today we would like to know from you how you consume video games: Do you play, watch streams, or maybe both?
These days, there are many ways to get to know and experience video games. The first obvious way is to buy a game and play it. This has traditionally been the case with video games. For several years now, streaming platforms have provided an alternative or complement to playing. Here, you can watch other people play a video game and let them entertain you.
Do you use platforms like Twitch.TV to watch others play, or are you less interested in that?
Twitch and Co. – The TV for Gamers?
Portals like Twitch or YouTube Gaming offer a wide selection of live channels where you can watch other people play. Meanwhile, you can interact with the streamer and other audience members through chat. Whether it’s a small family Minecraft stream with 20 viewers providing room for conversation, or a “League of Legends” stream where 20,000 viewers fill the chat with memes – there’s plenty of variety.
But don’t worry, not only mainstream games are covered on the platforms. You can also find games with smaller communities there. So if you’re on a nostalgia trip and want to see the first part of BioShock, you can find a suitable stream online.
Major championships of eSports titles like League of Legends or CS:GO are also broadcast live on streaming platforms and on average have several hundred thousand viewers. There, the viewers cheer on their favorite teams like TSM, SK Gaming, or Cloud 9 as they compete against international opponents in major tournaments.
For many gamers, gaming livestreams have replaced television. In the evening during prime time, they prefer to watch their favorite streamers instead of following programs on Pro7, DMAX, and others.
Do you watch, play, or do both?
Opinions on the topic of livestreaming vary among gamers. While some feel comfortable in the communities of streamers and follow their favorite games daily, others want nothing to do with it and only play video games themselves.
We are interested in what you think about this topic:
- Do you watch streams on such platforms and watch others play? Maybe you already have a favorite streamer that you have even subscribed to, and you are part of the community.
- Do you perhaps have a second monitor where you watch a stream while you play?
- Are you not interested in these streams at all and don’t want to know how other people play your video game?
You can vote on this survey. If you want, tell us in the comments whether you watch livestreams or not.
Every fourth eSports viewer just watches and no longer plays
